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Rhône: The region and places of interest

In light of CellarVie Wines’ focus on Rhône and following our interview with renowned winemaker Jean-Luc Colombo, we thought we would take a closer look at the region and its places of interest. The first cultivated vines in the iconic Rhône wine region in Southern France, was planted around 600 BC and subsequently now produces numerous wines under various Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) designations, the most famous being the Côtes du Rhône AOC.

The Rhône is France’s second largest quality wine region after Bordeaux and is generally divided into two sub-regions, each of which is famed for their distinct vinicultural traditions.

The northern region, which starts near Vienne, produces red wines using almost exclusively the Syrah grape, the Southern region, starting at Avignon, is where Châteauneuf-du-Pape is made, and is dominated by the Grenache variety, but increasingly a veritable miscellany of varieties including Cinsault, Syrah, Carignan, Mourvedve and Cabernet.

Northern Rhône houses some of the finest vineyards in the world, Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Crôzes-Hermitage, Condrieu, St Joseph and Cornas, and so touring the region is a wonderfully educational and enlightening experience for any wine lover or indeed just those in search of some Mediterranean sun.

While southern Rhone is dominated by the aforementioned appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the likes of Beaumes de Venise, Vacqueyras and Gigondas have all emerged with great credit in the past few years.

Steeped in history, Rhône needn’t been reserved for the wine aficionado. Once one of the well-trodden political routes in Western Europe, the river was used by a long succession of inhabitants from the Phoenicians and Greeks to the Romans and there is a subsequently a plethora of beautiful towns to visit that reflect the region’s prominent historical positioning in France.

The town of Orange, found towards the north-east of the Vaucluse department of Provence and north of Avignon, is famed for its two monuments of Roman architecture, the Ancient Theatre and the Triumphal Arch, and is very much worth seeing in the flesh. Avignon houses the Palais des Papes, which remains one of the most important medieval Gothic buildings in the whole of Europe, while the Roman Pont du Gard, located in Vers-Pont-du-Gard near Remoulins, is a simply stunning aqueduct constructed by the Romans that crosses the Gard River.

Lyon remains one of the country’s gastronomic highlights, saturated with Michelin starred restaurants amid the captivating medieval quarter. The Fourvière Basilica overlooking the town was built at the end of the 19th century by architect Pierre Bossan and another example of the region's rich cultural history.

While Rhône will always be associated with the excellent winemaking traditions of France, the region itself boasts an embarrassment of attractions for visitors keen to extent their experience outside its well-documented wine history.

BBQ Spatchcock Piri-Piri Chicken

Summer has come to a close and autumn is well and truly on its way. Blustering winds, cooler temperatures and swiftly shortening days mean it will soon be time to wrap up warm and to make the most of the wonderful autumn produce on offer. Time to say goodbye to those fresh, summer whites and replace them with the warmer, more robust reds frequently associated with colder temperatures.

26.08.15

What to drink with Fish Pie?

Fish Pie is a quintessentially British recipe. Easy to make and absolutely delicious, it is also a great dinner party dish - with a limited amount of last minute preparations needed it’s a winner in my book! However, where do you start when matching a fish pie with wine?

24.07.15

Five Ways to Open a Bottle of Wine Without a Corkscrew

For that moment when you find yourself without a corkscrew and unable to open that bottle of wine; here are five ways to open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew. Obviously, if you do have a corkscrew to hand, it is a lot easier to go down the more traditional route…

16.10.14

Nine Ways to Reuse Your Wine Corks

Unless you live in California, where there is an official wine cork recycling program, take inspiration from these ideas and drink your wine guilt-free, knowing you can now recycle both bottle and cork. Alternatively, for those of us who are less environmentally inclined, some of these aesthetically pleasing creations make for great centre pieces…how about that for an alternative motive?

07.09.12

Seven Deadly Glasses by Kacper Hamilton

While by no means new, CellarVie Wines could only marvel at the creative brilliance of London-based designer Kacper Hamilton and his marvellous ‘Seven Deadly Glasses’. Whilst floating aimlessly on the worldwide web during our lunch hour we stumbled upon these beautiful wine glasses, inspired of course by the seven deadly sins; lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.

25.09.14

Luke Donald: Renaissance Man

Some of the world’s finest golfers have long augmented their iron work with the wine business but few have done so with as much vigour and success as Luke Donald. Joining an impressive number of golf-and-grape connoisseurs – most notably Ernie Els, Greg Norman, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus - the supremely elegant Luke Donald Collection, which includes a beautifully handcrafted Bordeaux blend made in Napa Valley’s most prestigious vineyards, has its origins in a longstanding friendship between the former world number one and Bill Terlato, President and CEO of Terlato Wines International.

Following our recent interview with award winning winemaker Jean-Luc Colombo, during which the charismatic Frenchman revealed his favourite meal consisting of ‘stewed quinces from the garden and apple pie’, CellarVie Wines thought they ...read more

In light of our focus on Rhône, CellarVie Wines interviewed the charismatic and colourful winemaker Jean-Luc Colombo, in order to discuss the winemaking philosophy behind his award winning wines, the beauty of his vineyards and the ...read more